Lonesome George Dead: Five Critically Endangered Animals (Slide show)

Following the death of Lonesome George and the extinction of the Pinta subspecies of the Giant tortoise last week, there's been a renewed push to save critically endangered species.
Animals like the California condors, have suffered a significant population decline due to lead poisoning.
As the world witnesses a huge loss in biodiversity through the near extinction of species, efforts to protect and preserve have come to the forefront.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was founded in 1964 and is an international body that composes a list of endangered species. A critically endangered species is defined as the ones that face an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future.

Here is a slide show of five of the critically endangered species that have been identified by the IUCN Red List Conservation. (Photo:Reuters)

California Condor

Five Critically Endangered Animals in pictures

Following the death of Lonesome George and the extinction of the Pinta subspecies of the Giant tortoise last week, there's been a renewed push to save critically endangered species.
Animals like the California condors, have suffered a significant population decline due to lead poisoning.
As the world witnesses a huge loss in biodiversity through the near extinction of species, efforts to protect and preserve have come to the forefront.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was founded in 1964 and is an international body that composes a list of endangered species. A critically endangered species is defined as the ones that face an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future.

Here is a slide show of five of the critically endangered species that have been identified by the IUCN Red List Conservation.

A pair of Iberian Lynxes, the world's most endangered feline, huddle together in their special enclosure at Jerez de la Frontera zoo in sourthern Spain in this undated picture. The two-month-old baby females are the focus of an emergency breeding plan to prevent the Iberian Lynx from becoming the first feline species to turn extinct since prehistoric times.
(Photo:Reuters.)

Iberian Lynx

A pair of Iberian Lynxes, the world's most endangered feline, huddle together in their special enclosure at Jerez de la Frontera zoo in sourthern Spain in this undated picture. The two-month-old baby females are the focus of an emergency breeding plan to prevent the Iberian Lynx from becoming the first feline species to turn extinct since prehistoric times.

hilippine Eagle "Mindanao" is seen inside a Philippine Eagle compound in Davao city, southern Philippines August 21, 2011. The Philippine Eagle Foundation conservation center in Davao city breeds the endangered Philippine Eagle or "Monkey-eating Eagle" and reintroduces them to their natural environment. (Photo:Reuters)

Philipine Eagle

hilippine Eagle "Mindanao" is seen inside a Philippine Eagle compound in Davao city, southern Philippines August 21, 2011. The Philippine Eagle Foundation conservation center in Davao city breeds the endangered Philippine Eagle or "Monkey-eating Eagle" and reintroduces them to their natural environment.

A very rare and endangered Heosemys depressa (also known as an Arakan forest turtle) is seen in New York on July 8, 2003. This is just one of the more than 1,000 turtles kept in a New York loft where they have been rescued, many from illegal importation to be used as food. (Photo:Reuters)

Arakan forest turtle

A very rare and endangered Heosemys depressa (also known as an Arakan forest turtle) is seen in New York on July 8, 2003. This is just one of the more than 1,000 turtles kept in a New York loft where they have been rescued, many from illegal importation to be used as food.

A Chinese veterinarian plays with a Yangtze alligator at the Chongqing Yangtze Alligator Center in Chongqing. A Chinese veterinarian plays with a Yangtze alligator at the Chongqing Yangtze Alligator Center in Chongqing, a municipal city in south-central China on the Yangtze River, September 14, 2004. The Yangtze alligators are endangered. Only a few are left in the wild. Most of the alligators live in groups ranging from two to five in number. The largest group is composed of 10 or 11 alligators. If the habitat of Yangtze alligators is not expanded, they are likely to disappear from the wild in the next 10 years, said a Yangtze alligator expert. To ensure a gradual and sustainable growth of the Yangtze alligator population, China has reproduced more than 10,000 Yangtze alligators through artificial means in recent years. (Photo:Reuters)

chinese Alligator

A Chinese veterinarian plays with a Yangtze alligator at the Chongqing Yangtze Alligator Center in Chongqing. A Chinese veterinarian plays with a Yangtze alligator at the Chongqing Yangtze Alligator Center in Chongqing, a municipal city in south-central China on the Yangtze River, September 14, 2004. The Yangtze alligators are endangered. Only a few are left in the wild. Most of the alligators live in groups ranging from two to five in number. The largest group is composed of 10 or 11 alligators. If the habitat of Yangtze alligators is not expanded, they are likely to disappear from the wild in the next 10 years, said a Yangtze alligator expert. To ensure a gradual and sustainable growth of the Yangtze alligator population, China has reproduced more than 10,000 Yangtze alligators through artificial means in recent years.

caterpillar (Photo:caterpillar)

Plants are nature's "Green phone" and voicemail service for insects (Photo: Flickr)

caterpillar

Five Critically Endangered Animals in pictures

Following the death of Lonesome George and the extinction of the Pinta subspecies of the Giant tortoise last week, there's been a renewed push to save critically endangered species.

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Animals like the California condors, have suffered a significant population decline due to lead poisoning.

As the world witnesses a huge loss in biodiversity through the near extinction of species, efforts to protect and preserve have come to the forefront.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was founded in 1964 and is an international body that composes a list of endangered species. A critically endangered species is defined as the ones that face an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future.

Here is a slide show of five of the critically endangered species that have been identified by the IUCN Red List Conservation.